


Fracture

by Tell_Me_Tales



Series: Stuff I'll Never Finish ...Oops [8]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-28 20:40:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16730259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tell_Me_Tales/pseuds/Tell_Me_Tales
Summary: What if instead of getting pink zombie-boy Lars, we got pink zombie-boy Steven?Or...The infamous 'Rose Comes Back' fic.Fair Warning:This isn't likely to go any farther and what is here is closer to being a sloppy draft than it is to being a polished work. (Not to mention that it probably should be broken into a bunch of short chapters rather than smashed together the way it is.) But I wrote this little bit, so may as well share it. Enjoy.





	Fracture

Steven doesn't think. He just moves.

And.

Somehow.

He manages to cross the distance between them quickly enough to catch Lars in midair. He clutches the Human teen close and twists to take the brunt of the collision as they slam into the stone pillar. Steven doesn't have time for either relief or regret. All he can feel is shock.

And then he can't breathe.

He can't breathe!

"Steven!" Lars screams as he crawls toward the younger boy. The teenager's hands hover hesitantly over the smaller body. "Oh, oh man, what do I do? Steven? Hey! Stay awake!"

The half-Gem reaches weakly for his friend. He'd apologize if he could find the air to do so with. The world fades away from him and Steven knows no more.

* * *

"No! Steven!" he screams, "Steven, wake up! You need to stay awake!"

The boy remains unresponsive and Lars has rarely felt as helpless as he does in this moment. And then more crazy alien stuff happens.

Lars yelps and scrambles backward as the pink gem in Steven's belly first glows and then bursts into light.

"Steven!" an unknown voice cries and Lars opens his eyes to see another alien that he knows wasn't there a moment ago. The Gem falls to her knees and weeps as she pulls Steven into her arms. "No! No! It's too early! We were supposed to have more time together!" The alien's tears drip onto Steven's still form. "You still have so much life to live! Come back to me, Steven. Please, Baby."

"Wh-who are you?" Lars asks, voice cracking.

The Gem jumps, pink hair flying as she twists to look at him. "Lars," she gasps, "I'm so sorry! I almost forgot you were here!"

Lars shifts, stuck between the instinct to run and a desire not to leave his last frie-- not to leave Steven. The teen swallows thickly and tries again, "Who are you?"

"Rose Quartz," the Gem answers, "I'm Steven's mother."

"Wait! _You're_ the 'Rose Quartz' that those crazy, giant, 'Diamond' ladies almost killed us over?" Lars screeches, fear temporarily suppressed by indignation, "Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused us?"

Rose Quartz's features are solemn, borderline grim, as she says, "Yes." She sighs and her expression gentles as she commands, "Come here, Lars."

Cautiously, not really knowing what else he even can do, the teen obeys.

* * *

Rose waits for the cantankerous Human boy to slink nearer. She loves all of Steven's Human friends. They're all so different and wonderfully unique. Of course, she's come to realize that all of those quirks that make Humans so individual also means they each need different treatment. Some require more patience than others and, out of everyone in Beach City, Lars needs the most of it. So Rose waits for the teenager to come to her.

Once Lars is within arm's reach, Rose thumbs away a fat tear from her face and swipes her hand over a gash on the side of Lars' head.

"Hey!" the skinny Human objects, "What do you think you're --" The gash seals itself and a few other scrapes and bruises begin to fade away too. "I -- That --" Lars runs a shaky hand over the newly healed skin. His fingers come away coated in blood and dust but the underlying wound has been healed. "How did you do that?"

"Healing tears," Rose answers with a watery smile. She doesn't see anything else terribly wrong with her frien-- Steven's friend. Her son did a good job protecting him. She only wishes Steven had done as good a job of protecting himself. Rose sniffles and returns her attention to the terrifyingly still child in her arms. She allows another few tears to roll down her cheeks.

Lars settles next to her. Still wary but apparently willing to trust her for the time being. "Are you trying to heal Steven?" his voice climbs in distress as he speaks, "Why isn't it working?"

"I, I don't know," Rose confesses. She knew from the moment she'd decided to make him that Steven would be so very special and unique. He was always going to be something entirely new and wonderful, but that also meant there were a lot of unknowns about him. There was a chance her tears wouldn't work on Steven for some reason she hasn't considered, or they might simply not be strong enough to replace the Gem-half of him she's reclaimed as her own. She doesn't know. All she can do is try. "Please, Steven, come back."

* * *

"H-he's breathing!" Lars' voice says, breaking awkwardly in the middle, "He's breathing!"

"They worked, Lars!" a different, vaguely familiar voice says in joy, "He's waking up! Steven? Steven, can you open your eyes for me?"

Steven struggles to do as the voice asked. It's difficult, everything feels heavy and _off_ in a way he can define, but eventually he manages to lift his eyelids enough to squint up at the faces hovering over him. One of them is Lars, of course, and Steven is glad to see the older boy in one, relatively unharmed, piece. The other face belongs to...

"...Pink...Diamond?"


End file.
